Interview: SHAED

If you love indie pop bands with a buoyant electronic sound, you should check out SHAED (pronounced “shade”). This D.C. trio, comprised of vocalist Chelsea Lee and twin instrumentalists Max and Spencer Ernst, makes glittering songs with lyrics that are easy to relate to, such as “Perfume,” which describes the excitement of being in love, and “Thunder”, an optimistic anthem written for a nation in political turmoil. Last year, SHAED made its debut with an EP titled Just Wanna See; then, a couple of weeks ago, it released the single “Too Much.” Considering that the band also just wrapped up a summer tour with Sir Sly, it’s surely been gaining a lot of new fans lately.

While SHAED was on the road, we sent Chelsea, Max, and Spencer a few questions about their music. Read on to learn about their adventures on tour, the inspiration behind “Too Much,” and the first songs they ever wrote.

TYF: Right now, you’re on tour with Sir Sly. What has that been like so far? Has anything particularly funny or interesting happened on the road?

SHAED: We love hanging with the Sir Sly guys. We played a haunted venue in Milwaukee called The Rave/Eagles Club. Before our set we explored the abandoned pool in the basement where six children drowned decades ago… So creepy.

TYF: You also recently played Firefly. What are some of your favorite memories from that experience?

SHAED: It was so hot during our second performance that our computer shut down, so we played the rest of the set acoustic. It ended up being a really great experience just playing our music with a mic and a guitar. Also after the show, we got to hang with our tour buds Bishop Briggs, which is always super fun.

TYF: Which songs are your favorites to play live?

SHAED: Right now we love playing our newest single “Too Much”. It’s fun to dance to :)

TYF: You just released a new single called “Too Much.” What inspired this song?

SHAED: The lyrics were inspired by today’s hookup culture, and what it’s like to meet someone through a screen. And that exhilarating feeling when you finally make a connection.

TYF: Last year, you released the EP Just Wanna See. One of the songs on that EP, “Thunder,” has a cool music video showing different people holding signs displaying the song’s lyrics. What was it like filming that video? How did you get all those people together?

SHAED: All the people in the video are artists and friends of ours in DC. At the time, there was a lot of energy around the political election, and there was this crazy feeling of wanting to do something. So we just met up with our friends who were down with the concept of the song, and filmed them on our iPhones.

TYF: You’ve covered “Starboy” by The Weeknd. Are there any other songs that you think would be fun to cover in the future?

SHAED: We are thinking of releasing another cover soon but we can’t reveal it yet ;)

TYF: Do you remember the first songs you ever wrote? If so, what were they about?

Spencer and Max: The first song we ever wrote was called “Santa’s Midnight Sleigh” and we performed it for Santa when we were kids. I think you can guess what it was about.

Chelsea: I don’t specifically remember, but I’m sure it was terrible :)

TYF: Your band name is taken from a book series called The Kingkiller Chronicle. Have you read any other good books lately?

SHAED: We haven’t had much time to read on the road but we’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts. “S-Town” was really interesting and definitely worth listening to.

TYF: Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

SHAED: We are always searching for things to do in the van when we are on the road. If you have any games, podcasts etc to share with us PLEASE dm us and let us know :)